Thursday, April 2, 2009

China Orders Tighter Controls of Online Videos

BEIJING (AFP) — China issued new rules on Thursday aiming to crack down on "harmful" political or religious online videos, two weeks after footage of police allegedly beating Tibetan monks circulated on the Web.

The rules specifically ban online clips that harm national stability, "instigate hatred between ethnic groups" or "maliciously disparage" the nation's police or armed forces, a notice on the government's website said.

The India-based government of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, last month released footage allegedly showing brutality by Chinese security forces in Tibet.